Sunday, July 22, 2007

Four Wishes for Abigail

The "Four Wishes for Abigail" shawl was knit for the christening of my niece, Abigail Ann, which took place on July 22, 2007.

The completed shawl measures approximately four feet across, including the points of the edging.

Design Sources and Inspiration

The design is my own adaptation of the "borders outwards" method of Shetland lace shawl construction, as described by Sharon Miller in her book, Heirloom Knitting. The same work, which has been my constant companion from the swatch stage to the final weaving, was the source of many of the stitch patterns in the finished piece.

In addtion, the following works were consulted and found to be most helpful:

Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace (Margaret Stove)

A Treasury of Knitting Patterns (Barbara Walker)

"A Lace Alphabet to Knit" from Piecework (May/June 1998)

The project also had a long-distance godmother: Jean Miles. Jean's work, displayed and beautifully annotated on her Web site, stirred the lace-knitting impulse in my soul. It was she who introduced me to Sharon Miller's work, to Bridget Rorem's lace alphabet, and she who provided me with the Latin translations of the words worked into the shawl edging.

Beyond that, Jean's good-humored descriptions of her own works-in-progress have also been an inspiration. An inspiration to not throw the knitting out the window or run it through the shredder on days when, for example, one of the sides somehow acquired three extra stitches...again.

Design Strategy and Themes

I knew I had to make this piece from start to finish on a tight schedule. It was, furthermore, to be my first large piece of lace knitting and my first piece of lace design.

I set myself a few limits. First, all motifs used had to have small repeats that I could memorize easily and work anywhere (including the subway) without a chart. Second, if at all possible all motifs had to alternate a row of patterned knitting with a row of plain knitting in order to save time and keep the level of difficulty moderate. Third, all motifs in the shawl center and borders had to read well on a stockinette ground, as I would be knitting in the round and wanted to be able to knit all the plain rows instead of purling them.

That said, I knew that shawl had to include motifs appropriate to Maine. I wanted it to have a certain robust beauty appropriate to the rugged terrain and the forthright people who live on it. Maine is breathtakingly beautiful, but the beauty is fierce. Odd as it may sound, I didn't want the shawl to appear too delicate.

And I knew I wanted the design to include words, a message of some kind to Abigail. The inspiration came for the final design came, oddly, from an afternoon spent flipping through photographs I took of inscriptions at Ostia Antica, the ruins of the ancient seaport of Rome.

I swatched everything, and there were still surprises both pleasant and unpleasant. However, swatching did minimize the unpleasant and definitely led to a better finished product. If you want to design your own lace, you'd better be prepared to swatch. If you just can't bear it, choose another project.

The Four Wishes

The edging comprises two design elements:

Sharon Miller's double scallop shell edging, and

four lozenges surrounded by faggot stitch, each containing a wish for the baby.

The wishes, written in Latin as befits a solemn occasion, are:

SAPIENTA (wisdom)

ROBUR (strength)

MISERICORDIA (compassion)

RISUS (laughter)

With those, Abigail should be well-equipped to deal with anything life has to offer.

I confess that about halfway through MISERICORDIA I began to wish the Latin word for compassion were somewhat shorter.

Other Stitch Motifs

The center of the shawl consists of a square panel of the pattern variously called fern lace or leaf lace (Barbara Walker) or candlelight (Sharon Miller). It is closely related to the traditional Shetland "fir cone" pattern. Worked in stockinette, as here, the decreases create a diamond grid that surrounds the openwork. In Abigail's shawl, the motif is meant to represent the white pine cone - the state flower of Maine.

Immediately surrounding the central panel is a stockinette band worked with roses, although we're going to call them hibiscus as a nod to Abigail's mother's adopted home state of Hawai'i.

The four trapezoidal borders are filled mostly with diamond trellis. Around the outermost edge of the borders, inside two eyelet rows, are pine trees: once again, an homage to the state of Maine.

The yarn is a natural white silk/cashmere laceweight procured from Sean at Wolcott and Company. I cannot, cannot, cannot scream and yell enough about how much I love this yarn. The color gives the finished piece a warm, antique look that I prefer to the chill of pure white. The silk lends a sheen so subtle it's barely a sheen; it's more of a glow. The drape and softness are luxury itself.

The entire piece was knit up on an Addi Turbo circular, size US zero.

The Gift and the Recipient

Abigail seemed to like it. Four wishes for her, one for me: I hope to live to see her happy children wrapped up in it.

The love and care knit into this piece is palpable even from photos. That pic of dear baby Abigail with her new shawl has tears welling up in my eyes. Thank you, thank you for sharing this most intimate and beautiful gift (and its trials and tribulations) with us. You are truly an inspiration, and undoubtedly will be a most treasured uncle! (and, if the universe has any justice to it at all, great-uncle too).

There are simply no words to describe your gift to Abigail. To say it is beautiful almost feels like an insult because the shawl is so much more than beautiful as is Abigail. The world is a much better place for having you in it (if only my children could have such an uncle!) and your family is truly blessed.

I've found myself waiting and watching (not so) patiently for this post - and it was definitely worth it. It is just stunning. The fact that you put hours, days and weeks of your life and so much love, care and thought into this gift makes it absolutely priceless. Abigail is a very lucky little angel.

Oh my, Franklin, no other blogger can move me to tears the way you can. The shawl is breathtaking, and the thought that went into it is deep and true.

Abigail is a beautiful and very lucky girl. She will certainly grow in wisdom, strength, and compassion, and have many opportunities for laughter throughout her life. And of course, she will be blessed by the many wonderful and nourishing books that her dear Uncle Franklin will send her over the years.

Ostia Antica is one of my favorite places on Earth and it is wonderful to me to see it inspire something knitted.

What a lovely, thoughtful (in the fullest sense of the word) gift. I can see it wrapped in tissue and lovingly brought out for Abigail's child to be wrapped in and the story about how "uncle Franklin made this when i was a baby....". What a beautiful legacy you've given her.

Thank you so much for the detail of this piece, Franklin. It is absolutely stunning, breathtaking and fifty seven other adjectives that haven't even been invented yet. The level of thought that went into the symbolism makes it most precious. Perfect for a precious little Maineiac like Abigail! You are the best uncle ever!

congrats franklin. you are an inspiration. me on the other hand, cant get through the simplest lace, a pattern i found in a hp themed book. oh well. perhaps i should try again....abigail is beautiful. so is your shawl.

Oh my gosh, Franklin, that is beyond beautiful. As is your written description. Your posts never fail to bring tears to my eyes. Breathtaking. Congratulations and best wishes for Abigail and her thoughtful and loving uncle.

Franklin, I've been a lurker here for a while, I love the way you craft a sentence and I am in awe of this shawl. It is probably the most meaningful, love-filled knitting I've ever seen. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Really beautiful and such an impressive work of art! The way this honors your wishes for Abigail and is so substantial and complete makes me speechless. Thank you so much for sharing the details of your project with us.

I have four wishes for you:1. That your wishes for Abgail come true.2. That your wish for yourself comes true.3. That everything you wished for your niece, she may always see in her uncle.4. That the next baby is far enough into the future for you to get the feeling back into your fingers.

Thank you for sharing this moving experience with us; you are far too humble about the skill and beauty of this shawl. Which, of course, just impresses me more. Congratualtions to you and your family; Abigail chose well.

My admiration for this project is deep and pure. The amount of thought and love and, well, effort poured into a lovely gift like this cannot fail to bless Abigail every day. And I can't help but gasp--you knit that beautiful thing on size ZERO needles. Heavens.

Thank you, Franklin, for sharing your design process -- your notes were perfectly descriptive, and nearly as lovely as the shawl itself. I am sure your beautiful niece will treasure it always. I am picturing her wearing it on her wedding day.

It just amazes me that what you do and what I do are both called knitting. Not that I'm not pleased enough with what I do, but what you've done here is way, way beyond. Absolutely lovely, and Abigail looks properly impressed (and lovely herself, of course).

I've been looking forward to seeing this post for days!It is very nice to hear the feelings and rationale behind the design. So thoughful and so beautiful. I hope your next project is a relaxing one. Tina in Philly

Wow, this shawl is stunning. Thank you for sharing it with us. This is the kind of piece that will live on for generations, and many, many years from now, those who see it will still be in awe. The wishes are beautiful. I hope all of them come true and that they will guide the hopefully many children to be christened in this shawl.

Franklin- I've been waiting for this post eagerly and somewhat impatiently. It was worth it. The shawl is stunning; Abigail is beautiful. She looks supremely content on the lace. Congratulations to both of you. She has a wise and talented uncle. I'd love to see a photo of the two of you together now that she's a bit older.

How very beautifully and thoughtfully designed and knitted, and how beautiful your niece is! May your wishes (those for Abigail and the one for yourself) come true!Best wishes fromUlrike, near Stuttgart in Germany

It is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations (seems like the thing to say for creating and finishing this beautiful work).

I think you should print out a copy of this post to give to your niece so she understands the work you put into this. She'll see you knit all the time (and likely some of it will be for her) and she should know how unique and special it is (just like her!).

ok, so I've been reading along with you as you've gone through this process of creation, but never, never in a million years did I realize you were creating such an absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking heirloom. I mean, I knew you were good, but my god, you are GOOD. Your artistry, passion, and dedication that shine through this shawl brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing this.

Franklin, the shawl is perfectly beautiful. What an amazing you job did in design and execution. Truly. I know you must be so happy with it. May ALL your wishes come true! Thanks for all the details and photos.

Thank you for sharing your talent, wisdom, humor, and insight. Abigail is absolutely beautiful. The shawl is absolutely beautiful and is an amazing gift of time, talent, and love. You can be proud of your work - you deserve a pat on the back for this one.

Franklin, this shawl moved me to tears. A huge pat on the back for the effort and talent you displayed in this lovely gift. If you ever decide to grace Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp with your presence again, please consider Camp 2.75 (which I attend regularly). You will find huge praise for your shawl there. I love the part about where you wanted it to talk about the ruggged terrain. It appeals to those of us accustomed to Canadian winters too.

Your work, and that of the wonderful Jean, is so inspiring! What a special baby. And your series on this shawl caused me to bemoan having thrown out that Piecework issue (I didn't knit much at that time) and order it during their back issues sale. It's mine now!

Beautiful work. Beautiful baby. Beautiful Franklin.I am sorry I didn't read through all the comments, so don't know if anyone mentioned this before.(Speaking in a very low whisper now). I thought the word was "sapientia".Please please prove me wrong.

I love the shawl and was so happy to see a picture of it with baby Abigail. But the text is what did me in. The thought, vision, planning, and execution of the piece is what being an artist is all about. And it is truly a work of art that you should be so proud of. I'm sure it will be treasured by many future generations. Bravo!

The shawl is shockingly beautiful. The effort and thought you put into the design of it, the wishes, the execution of the design ... All of it. I'm blown away. Abigail is lovely, and I'm sure she will cherish the shawl when she's old enough to understand just how much it means! Your sister must be THRILLED.

I'm so impressed. I really just can't get over how magnificent it is. Wow. Fantastic job.

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